The Struggle Of Living
by Sakura Sango
Summary: The clock ticks away, counting down the time that he has remaining. Can the strength of their love survive, or will it dissolves just as quickly as Yusuke's fading health. Yusuke/Hiei


Title: The Struggle Of Living

Author: Sakura Sango

Rated: M

Warnings: look at the pairing, later on lemon, angst moments, character death

Pairings: Yusuke/Hiei

Side pairings: Shizuru/Keiko, Kurama/Yukina, Kuwabara/Botan

Summary: The clock ticks away, counting down the time that he has remaining. Can the strength of their love survive, or will it dissolves just as quickly as Yusuke's fading health.

Dedication: This story is dedicated to Yo, who won it on an auction for charity. I'm sorry it's soooo late! I swear I will keep going on it!A/N: Ohh ohh! So I ended up getting inspiration from an unlikely source…The drama '1 Litre of Tears.' If you haven't seen that one you _must!_ Though caution you may need a lot of Kleenex for it…

Anyways I hope this first chapter is up to par. It's more of a- here's where the characters/people/ stuff is at currently…The next chapter is where the…fun…angst…real stuff starts!

_x-x-x-_

"_Just open your eyes _

_And see that life is beautiful. _

_Will you swear on your life, _

_That no one will cry at my funeral?"_

_~"Life Is Beautiful" by: Sixx AM_

_x-x-x-_

A fist sails out flying effortlessly through the air and meets nothing (much to the beholder's annoyance); soon the right follows suit, as it glides just as effortlessly through the air and again meets nothing. And again the beholder scowls as he brings his fists back up to his face, protecting and readying himself for another attack.

"You're going to have to try harder to actually make a connection."

Yusuke spins around on heel, his right leg digging into the loose dirt as he stops himself, eyes narrowing slightly as he scans for the voice. He refuses to give up, refuses to think that he has been beaten without ever getting to land a punch.

A twig snaps behind him and Yusuke pricks his ears as he focuses on the sound. His body tenses, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. His heart races as he tries to breath deeply (a part of him loves the exhilarating feel as he can _practically _feel the adrenalin pump through his veins).

'_He would never make such a rookie mistake,_' Yusuke reminds himself as he resists the urge to spin around again (he almost feels like a toy top spinning so much).

It was a test, another false alarm. One that he refuses to fall for- _for the fifth time- _as he keeps his fists up in guard. Teeth grit as dark eyes flicker across the serene landscape, focusing heavily on several trees, as he tries to find his sparing partner.

Yusuke wants to scream how this training session is becoming unfair. When they had first started- _hours ago_- Hiei had explained about how Yusuke needed to buff up on his fighting skills (while not relying on his spirit or demonic energies). Yet the small fire demon was fighting back while using his incredible speed; which Yusuke wants to call foul to.

Yet he finds himself unable to as he scans the scenery one last time before deciding to look behind. Quickly he spins again, a startled cry falling from his lips as he watches a fist sail at his face. He is barely able to block as he twists his waist, his upper body sliding sideways as feet brace themselves, trying to hold himself upright at the sudden twist. The boy never flinches as the fist sails past his face, brushing lightly against his cheek bone before pulling back.

Suddenly the fight is on and Yusuke finds himself on the defensive as he darts and dodges around the flat landscape. Hands are barely able to keep up with the flying fists as he cups his hands, his arms moving with the powerful punches as he tries to glide them away from his body. Feet twist and twirl around rocks and trees, with the grace that would make a world class dancer envious, as Yusuke tries desperately to put some distance between him and Hiei. At least enough distance for him to toss a decent punch, more then the lousy whacks that he has been able to send towards the fire demon.

Sweat drips down his forehead, mingling in his brow as Yusuke turns around a sturdy tree (one that looks much like the oak trees back home). The rough bark scratches at his arm as he leads another punch away from his body. He hisses through clenched teeth while trying to ignore the sting that the scrape leaves behind as he continues to try to fight.

Feet quicken their backwards retreat (a clumsy mixture of a skip and run) as he feels Hiei double his efforts. Yusuke bites back a curse as he tries to follow the demon's actions, dark eyes following the arms that are moving almost too fast for him to keep up with. Occasionally he is able to toss a weak, flimsy punch towards the demon before immediately bringing his hands back up to guard.

Yusuke squeaks, a sound that embarrasses him instantly, as he feels his left knee give out on him. His right leg is too slow to save himself, and as he falls Yusuke finds himself screaming mentally to his arms to catch him. He tries to get something to protect him, can feel his mind screaming to his sluggish body to catch himself, brace for the fall. Yet Yusuke finds himself lying flat on the hard ground, head reeling from the harsh impact as hands stay still at his side. Blinking dazedly he watches as Hiei jumps on top of him, a fist slamming down harshly beside his face, Yusuke can feel the ground vibrate slightly.

"Heh," the teen laughs while carefully flexing his left foot and knee, making sure that the nothing is damaged before leaning up on elbows. "You win again." A carefree smile crosses his face as he glances up at the dark sky.

Crimson eyes follow the boy's glance upwards before looking back down at the dark haired teen.

Yusuke sighs as he shakes his head, eyes tearing away from the ominous sky, he will never get used to the Makai's sky. "So, I guess we'd better start heading towards Kurama's house huh?"

Huffing Hiei pulls himself upright as he dusts his black pants, hands beating the fabric a little too roughly. "I can't believe you still like hanging out with them. You're living here after all."

"Yeah," Yusuke gently touches the reddened scrape on his arm, wincing slightly as it stings. "That may be true but they are my friends. I'm not gonna just leave them all alone." Carefully Yusuke stands as he flexes his legs, arms on his waist as he mimics a cliché workout video.

An eyebrow is arched in confusion, though the beholder wisely remains silent about it. "Whatever. Come on lets get this over with."

Smiling Yusuke runs as he tries to catch up with the retreating back of his lover, as he tries to shake off the odd feeling that of lingers of how his body had refused to listen to his calls.

_x-x-x-_

"You shoulda seen it Urameshi! It was like _ka-blow!_" A fist slams into a cupped hand as Kuwabara replays the marital arts competition move by move.

And Kurama finds himself ducking again as an elbow comes uncomfortably close to his nose. "Please watch where your elbows fly," he calmly states for the _fourth_ time.

"Yes, please Kazuma. I'd rather not have to heal Kurama's nose _again_ during the same meal." Yukina absentmindedly twists her glass slightly in her hands, watching as the half melted ice cubes drift to the opposite side.

"Sorry." A hand scratches at copper curls as Kuwabara hangs his head sheepishly, hands dropping back to the cheap plastic tabletop. Slowly he continues again however this time the theatrics kept to a minimum as he unconsciously grabs at his chopsticks. He barely stops talking long enough to chew as the copper haired boy shoves a scoop of rice into his mouth, a couple pieces falling back out and into his bowl. Mouth full he continues to mutter about the tournament, half of the words lost to the rest of the group.

Botan sighs as over her glass of water, eyes focusing on anywhere _except_ for the flying food (food that leaves Keiko and Shizuru diving for cover, hands covering plates and glasses). "Kuwa," she whispers, knowing that martial arts is the one topic that will always out rule her, leave her in the dust- yet she still feels the need to try. "You're spitting food everywhere. Careful." A warning that falls on deaf ears

"Yo! Kuwabara! Food ahoy!" Yusuke calls out, flicking away a grain of rice that lands on the bright red tabletop.

Laughter echoes as the boy pauses in mid sentence, mouth dropping open for a split second before snapping shut with a click. Cheeks redden brightly as Kuwabara ducks his head a second time, hair veiling his eyes as he mutters apologies. Quietly he uses wooden chopsticks to pick up a thin, delicious piece of beef as he tries to avoid the eyes of all of his friends; he can feel the gazes resting on him, even if he cannot see any of them. _He can feel them._

Beside him Botan leans a head on the muscular shoulder (she has to admit it is one of many things she loves about him), a hand lightly patting his upper thigh as long, dainty fingers slide further up. Teeth dig into his lower lip as Kuwabara tries to keep from reacting to the girl's questing touches. Soon the boy's one track mind is focused solely on Botan, as his fingers card through the silky, sky blue strands, a movement that leaves several of the others fake gagging, Keiko laughs as she grabs at her throat and falls into Shizuru's lap.

Yusuke is the only one that remains unaffected by the display; he is too busy staring at the delicious food that is waving through the air as Kuwabara dotes upon his lovely girl. Eyes train on the piece of meat and follow its every movement, eyes dart up as the chopsticks rise only to lower as they hover dangerously close to the tabletop. Shaking his head, he makes up his mind.

'_Sorry Kuwabara!_' Yusuke snickers as he reaches for his chopsticks, '_you snooze you lose.'_

Chopsticks fly effortlessly though the air, as the chocolate haired boy licks his lips at the piece of beef that dangles from his friend's sticks. Slowly the two pair of chopsticks glide closer, and Kuwabara is still too focused on his girlfriend to notice the food that he is about to loose.

Everyone around the table freezes in their actions; all muttered talk is frozen as they watch Yusuke carefully try to steal the food. Keiko snickers into Shizuru's shoulder as fingers wrap around the other girl's arm. Laughter shakes the girl's small form as she tries to keep from alerting the copper haired boy.

Yusuke is inches away from a tasty, stolen treat as chopsticks shake slightly, the points opening far enough to grab the food. A tongue sticks out slightly as the boy focuses solely on the food before him and his eyes narrow slightly. Just enough to make sure he has the angle correct as they glide closer…

…and miss Kuwabara's floating sticks completely.

Blinking the boy stares at how far he has missed (it is no meager centimeter, but instead almost a hand's width away from the stationary sticks) and again he feels that horrible twisting feeling in his gut. The feeling that tells him that _something_ is seriously wrong.

Instead he leans back into the overstuffed, plastic seat while laughing off the mistake. Fingers dig into his hair, mussing the slicked hair leaving strands to fall into his eyes as he waves off the concerned looks from his friends.

"Ah," he laughs while turning back to his food bowl, "I'm really not that hungry. I was only trying to see if he would realize that I was trying to steal something from him."

"Huh…" Kuwabara looks around confused, he knows he has missed something though exactly what is unknown to him.

"Never mind," Botan pats his arm. "I'll tell you later tonight." She winks at the boy who only smiles back eagerly.

Soon everyone is back in their frenzied conversations and the recent incident of Yusuke's chopsticks are forgotten as the lunch continues peacefully. Even Hiei, who had been sitting silently in the corner brooding, is brought into a small conversation, though the demon seems less then thrilled to participate (though he had hated the thought of Kurama fulfilling his threat of spilling his coffee on the demon even less).

Yusuke smiles as he tries to keep from looking down at his hands, without drawing attention to just _how_ much the incident has terrifies him. He knows that it should mean nothing to him, just a minor fluke. But something screams at him that it is more then just a small miscalculation of chopstick distance.

Nodding, more to himself then to Keiko's question, the teen decides to do the only thing he can think of. Ignore it. He _knows_ that it will go away.

…or at least he hopes so…

_x-x-x-_

"God," Yusuke mutters as he steps easily over large tree roots as he follows Keiko around each tree that she circles around. "Why are we even _hiking_ this stupid forest? You know how much I hate hikes and nature. So really Keiko, why the hell did you put me with the two?"

Keiko only laughs as she turns around, arms behind her. "Aw, don't tell me the big, bad demon is going to let a little forest beat him." A smile crosses her face as she turns back and continues on her makeshift hike.

Carefully, though he tries to act normal, Yusuke watches for twigs and stones as he walks around the forest bed as he continues following after Keiko. Ahead of him he Keiko is spinning around, a smile that he has not seen for months on her face and silently he is overjoyed that she has found someone that truly makes her happy. Even if it is not him (especially since it is not with him).

For a second he does not watch where his feet are going as he quickens his steps to try to catch up with his childhood friend. His toes slam into an up grown root and Yusuke feels his body try to continue the step, where his foot has stopped. Before he knows it, or even try to get his body to react (and he tried his hardest to bring an arm out to catch himself), he finds his chin connecting to the ground. Pain licks at his nerve endings, searing across his entire chin as Yusuke feels the rough ground scrape and tear at his skin.

Keiko screams in horror as she turns and runs for Yusuke, her eyes widening as she takes in the blood dripping from his chin.

_x-x-x-_

And end! Haha next chapter you get to see more!

Oh god! I _suck _at action/fighting scenes. I know how can you write YYH and suck at that? Sorry about that part sucking. ACK! I swear I'll try to learn better and get better at it!

So yeah I'm leaving this chapter here, I finally know how to proceed! Anyways I had fun showing signs. Have fun watching them progress!


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